Stolen Jewish artefacts found in Israel

The Torah is a collection of teachings in Jewish law

Jewish ornaments stolen from a British synagogue thought to be part of a Europe-wide racket have been recovered in Israel.

Three men were arrested in Tel Aviv after they were allegedly found with religious items worth up to £1.5m.

We appear to have upset a group of international thieves

Detective Inspector David Lawson, Kent Police

Police recovered holy books, ritual items and two pairs of 17th Century antique silver Torah scroll ornaments, belonging to the collection at the Montefiore synagogue in Ramsgate, Kent.

The ornaments adorn the scroll, the Torah, which contains the teachings of the Jewish religion, and were stolen when thieves visited the synagogue on 14 February.

They were taken while some members of the gang distracted a guide, and are estimated to be worth £300,000.

Gibraltar

The other items are believed to have been stolen from Gibraltar.

Detective Inspector David Lawson of Kent Police said that the items had been recovered because of cooperation with the Israeli police.

"It's a very good example of cross-border cooperation between Israeli and Kent Police," he said.

"We appear to have upset a group of international thieves who have been going around synagogues nicking stuff in the UK and Europe."

He added: "We are continuing our inquiries to establish if there are any more people involved.

"One set of bells has definitely been recovered and I'm pretty confident the others are there as well."

A spokesman for police in Tel Aviv said: "Additional arrests are expected."